1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to retractors that are used to manipulate and retain tissue during a surgical procedure. More particularly, the present invention relates to the structure and composition of surgical retractors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When a patient undergoes intrusive surgery, a surgeon makes an incision in the skin to approach the tissue that requires repair or removal. As is often the case, the body tissue needing repair or removal is seldom just below the skin. Rather, a surgeon must often approach tissue that is positioned below a myriad of veins, arteries, bones, muscles and internal organs. In order to expose an area of targeted tissue deep within the body, surgeons use retractors to manipulate interposing tissue and hold that interposing tissue out of the way. In this manner, a clear surgical opening can be created to the targeted tissue, thereby enabling a surgeon to observe and repair, or remove, the targeted tissue.
Many surgical procedures are standardized. For example, during open heart surgery, the heart is approached through the sternum. In many such operations, a surgeon knows what tissue lay between the skin and the targeted tissue. As such, the surgeon has a variety of different retractors available that are used to manipulate and retain the interposing tissue. Each of the retractors has a particular shape that is appropriate for manipulating or retaining the interposing material that will be encountered.
Since surgeons can anticipate the type of interposing tissue that will be encountered in different types of surgical procedures, retractors are manufactured in a variety of different configurations in order to be useful for the different surgical procedures. For example, there are retractors specifically designed for use in open heart surgeries. There are retractors specifically designed for use in gall bladder surgeries, and there are retractors specifically designed for use in appendectomy surgeries. The number of specialized standard retractors nearly mimics the number of specialized standard surgical procedures.
Most specialized retractors are made of stainless steel and are rigid. The shape of the retractor is predetermined in view of its intended use. Such retractors are made in different sizes in order to accommodate patients of different sizes and the particular preferences of the surgeon.
Hundreds of different types of surgical retractors exist. Obviously, when a surgical team operates, all of the existing retractors are not provided in the operating room. Rather, prior to the operation, the surgical team selects the retractors that their experience tells them they will most probably need. A problem occurs when the surgical team encounters a mass of interposing tissue that was not fully anticipated. This is not uncommon because no two people are anatomically identical. In such circumstances, the surgical team must improvise and use a retractor that is not quite appropriate for the job at hand.
In an attempt to make improvisation a little less difficult, malleable ribbon retractors have been developed. Malleable ribbon retractors are retractors that are long, thin and flat. The retractors are made from malleable material that can be custom bent into most any desired shape during the surgery. As such, surgeons can be assured that they can adapt the malleable retractor to their needs during the surgery.
Although malleable ribbon retractors are more versatile than are rigid stainless steel retractors, they do have certain disadvantages. One of those disadvantages is strength. Rigid stainless steel retractors are very strong. As such, a surgeon can apply a lot of pressure to those instruments in order to move bone, muscle or other dense tissue. Malleable ribbon retractors are malleable. Thus, they are incapable of transferring strong forces to body tissue without deforming in shape as a result of those forces.
A need therefore exists for an improved retractor that has the strength of a solid stainless steel retractor yet has the versatility of a malleable retractor. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below.
The present invention is a retractor device for use in surgical procedures. The retractor has a handle element that is held by a surgeon. The handle element has a first end and a second end. At least a portion of the handle element between the first end and the second end is fabricated from a malleable material. The malleable material enables the relative position between the first end of the handle element and the second end of the handle element to be selectively adjusted by hand.
A rigid retractor blade extends from the first end of the handle element. The retractor blade is used to contact and manipulate tissue within the body. By altering the shape of the handle element, the orientation of the rigid retractor blade can be selectively altered. As such, a surgeon can selectively change the shape of the retractor without sacrificing the strength of the contact blade portion of the retractor.